Missing Keys
by Avalon Estel
Summary: Sometimes, what happens in a matter of moments is more important than the incidents of a century. A collection of drabbles, featuring any and all characters.
1. Playing Around

_Playing Around_

"Hey, Cid!"

Cid turned from his computer. "What're you botherin' me for, kid?"

Yuffie grinned, holding out two sea-salt ice cream bars.

Cid smiled. "Thanks," he said, taking one.

Then, the tiny Gullwings flitted by. Rikku snatched the remaining ice cream from Yuffie's hand.

"Hey!" Yuffie cried, lunging at the pixie, who just giggled and darted away. Yuffie ran after her, and ended up banging her leg against Merlin's bed. She gave a shout of pain.

Cid rolled his eyes, turning back to his computer. "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt," he muttered.

A few moments later, Rikku dropped the ice cream bar on his head.

"Whoops!" she exclaimed. "Sorry! I was just playing around."

Cid ignored her, feeling the ice cream begin to melt and drip down his head.

Everyone else had fallen into a state of silent shock.

Then, Rikku broke into a fit of giggles and exclaimed, "Maybe we should play 'Drop-Ice-Cream-On-Cid' more often!"

"Stupid kids," Cid grumbled.


	2. The Winner

_The Winner_

Gazing at Riku from across the room, Sora felt like crying. This wasn't the old Riku, the too-cool-for-you Riku, the Riku who could beat him right across Destiny Islands and just shrug it off. Gone was Riku the adventurer, Riku the philosophical, Riku the dreamer.

Riku, his best friend.

As the lights of the Hollow Bastion keyhole played upon them both, Sora knew that they would have to fight. It wouldn't be one of the spars that they had had regularly, where Riku would always win, no matter how hard Sora tried. Riku was gone.

And with a painful jolt, Sora realized that this Riku could kill him.

This fight wouldn't be like the games of the past; it was a whole new game, one that Sora had no idea how to play. Whether he played by the rules or not, Riku would do anything to beat him.

Sora knew that this time, he had to be the winner.


	3. Feet

_Feet_

"I hate my feet," Kairi muttered, stretching them out before her and wriggling her toes.

"Why?" asked Sora. "I think they're really nice, for feet, anyway."

Kairi made a face. "You're just saying that to make me feel good. They look like platypus feet, as flat as they are. And my toes are too long."

"Well, look at it this way: at least you _have_ feet," Riku pointed out.

Kairi gazed down at her feet thoughtfully. "You're right. I never thought about it that way before." She slipped her shoes back on. "I guess they're not so bad after all."


	4. Hourglass

_Hourglass_

The snow falls softly, drifting noiselessly to the ground. He stands by the window, watching, but soon he sighs restlessly and turns away. He walks toward the small table beside the window, where the rose sits in its glass container, glowing dimly in the dark. He lays a gentle hand – paw? – on the cool glass cover.

And to his horror, a petal drifts off of the rose.

"No!" he whispers hoarsely, desperately.

The rose is wilting. It has always been wilting, but now there are only eight or nine petals left, and they seem to be falling ever more quickly. While there are petals, there is time, but that time is running out. When it does, he will be trapped. He knows that with every breath, every heartbeat, his time is running shorter.

It's like watching the sand falling through an hourglass, except that it's crueler, because he cannot tell how much sand is left inside. It is an hourglass of petals, of thorns that are ripping his soul to shreds.

He whimpers and pulls the rose with its glass prison against his heart. In the darkness, the Beast falls to his knees.

Another grain of sand falls with him.


	5. Runaway Trains and Lost Puppies

Lost Puppies and Runaway Trains

The doorbell rang once, twice, thrice, in rapid succession.

"Olette, honey, can you get that?"

Olette sighed and stood. "Yes, Mom." She went to the door and pulled it open, knowing already who was on the other side.

"Hey, Olette!" chorused the boys standing on the doorstep.

"Hi, guys," she said, smiling.

"What are you doing?" demanded Hayner. "We've been waiting for you for the last forty-five minutes!"

Olette had known from the moment she had woken up that morning that they would show up like a bunch of lost puppies at her door. They had no memory spans whatsoever, and they just couldn't get along without her.

"I told you yesterday, I have to practice piano for two hours today," Olette reminded him.

"You did?" asked Roxas.

"_Two hours_?" Hayner echoed incredulously.

Olette nodded. "That's what my teacher said."

"You actually have a piano _teacher_?"

Olette rolled her eyes. "Yes, Hayner. There are such things as piano teachers."

Hayner scoffed. "That's like when I found out about remedial algebra. I didn't even know such a thing existed until I had to take it."

"Neither did I," Roxas said with a laugh.

"Not that you'd need it," Pence added, looking at him.

"Teacher's pet," Hayner muttered.

Roxas rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Am not."

"Well, Seifer is," Pence pointed out.

"Though you sure can't say the same for some of his pals," Hayner said. "Especially Rai, you know? He's probably never written a whole sentence in his life, you know?"

He laughed, proud of his Rai-impression, and slapped Roxas and Pence high-fives.

Throughout the duration of this conversation, Olette had stood in her doorway, staring at them in silent disbelief. Finally, she opened her mouth and said, "How in the world did we get from my piano lessons to impersonating Rai?"

The boys all stared at each other blankly. Then they turned to her as one and shrugged.

Olette sighed and slapped a palm against her forehead.

Pence laughed. "Guess that's just our train of thought."

"Our _runaway _train of thought," Hayner added in a lame attempt at joking.

"Not that kind of train, Hayner," Olette said.

"I know. I was trying to be funny."

"Don't. Please."

Hayner laughed.

"Well, we'd better get going, then," Roxas said. "We'll see you later, 'kay, Olette?"

"Okay," she agreed, nodding.

"You'd better come to the usual spot as soon as you're done, got it?" Hayner commanded.

Olette laughed. "Got it!"

"'Bye!" Pence called.

She waved after them, then went back inside, shutting the door behind her. She grinned.

They _were _lost puppies without her.


End file.
